


Peace of Mind

by SkystoneJexel



Series: The Skystone Sword [4]
Category: Runescape (Video Games)
Genre: Culture Shock, Death to the Dorgeshuun, Family Issues, Gen, lumbridge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-29 17:52:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15078476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkystoneJexel/pseuds/SkystoneJexel
Summary: While giving Zanik a tour of his home town of Lumbridge, Jexel experiences a less-than-pleasant reunion with a figure from his past.





	Peace of Mind

As Jexel stepped through the hole in the wall and back into the castle cellar, he found a cave goblin already waiting there, seemingly unaware of his presence. Her bulging teal eyes seemed completely fixated on a completely ordinary cabbage, or perhaps the equally mundane wooden table it sat upon.

“Excuse me, miss?” said Jexel, trying to get her attention. The cave goblin let out a startled yelp, and gave him an apologetic frown. Now that she faced him directly, he could see that she had some sort of scar on her forehead, resembling a cross topped with a claw or branch. It was a symbol he had seen surface goblins using; the symbol of the ‘Big High War God,’ or so he had heard, but everything he had seen so far suggested the cave goblins were a peaceful people. Why would they be using a symbol of war?

“Sorry, I didn’t notice you there! There are so many new things here, I can barely make sense of them all!,” the cave goblin replied, smiling. “You must be the famous Jexel. Pleased to meet you; I’m Zanik of the Dorgeshuun!”

“And I am Jexel Luminel, as you’ve already guessed. Well met, Zanik.”

“I can’t wait to explore the surface! So many new things to see and to do and to learn… oh, about that, I like your jewelry! What is it called?” she asked.

Jexel glanced at his clothing, confused. “I’m sorry, what do you mean? I’m not wearing any jewelry.”

“The jewelry on your belt,” Zanik replied, pointing to the hilt of his sword. “It’s really interesting… we don’t have anything like that in Dorgesh-Kaan.”

“This?” asked Jexel, resting a hand on the sword hilt. “This is my sword…”

“A… a sword? Why would a sword be decorated with gold and gems?” She stared warily at the weapon with a look of mild disapproval.

“Do your people not decorate their weapons?” Jexel asked.

Zanik shook her head. “I don’t see why we would. It seems so strange to draw attention to something used for killing. I mean, sometimes it needs to be done, but to do it with something so ornate? It almost seems like your people are proud of it.”

Jexel turned his gaze to the sword, the silver star on its pommel shining even in the dim torchlight of the cellar. “I’m not proud of killing,” he said. “Only of the cause I kill for. If a weapon can be used to protect, to preserve a peaceful way of life, isn’t it worth being proud of?”

“Of course,” Zanik replied. “I just don’t get why you would celebrate the weapon. Why not celebrate what it protects instead? Without that, the weapon is just a tool for killing,” She stood in silence for a moment, seemingly pondering what he had told her. “But I guess that’s enough about that for now. I’m sure there’s a lot more to the surface than just swords. Will you lead the way, please?”

“As you wish, Miss Zanik.” He beckoned to the cave goblin to follow him as he stepped towards the ladder leading to the surface.

“Where are we?” she asked, glancing around at the solid walls surrounding her and the many tapestries displaying the blue and white of Lumbridge. “I thought that ladder led to the surface.”

“We are on the surface,” said Jexel. “This is Lumbridge Castle. From here, the duke rules the town. I understand you’re supposed to see him, but we’ve arrived a little early.”

“It’s so enclosed… it could almost be underground,” Zanik replied. “Oh! Since we have some time before our meeting with the duke, let’s go outside! I want to see the sun!”

“Very well, the main entrance is this way,” he said as he led her to the front door. He couldn’t help but smile at the cave goblin’s enthusiasm; a reminder of a time when he was inexperienced and perhaps foolhardy. Even though it had been less than two and a half years, it felt like a lifetime ago that he set out for Draynor with a cheap guardsman’s blade. His smile faded, however, as he remembered his mother’s disapproval. He hadn’t seen her on the way in, but she was surely still in Lumbridge.

“Is something wrong?” asked Zanik.

“I… nothing is wrong,” Jexel nervously replied. “Let’s just move on. This door leads outside the castle.”

As Zanik pushed open the door, the light of the morning sun flooded into the hall. She hastily turned away from the door and covered her eyes with her arms, allowing the door to slam shut once again. “What was that? The giant light… was that the sun? I didn’t realize it would be that bright… I can’t look at it!”

“Should we stay inside?” asked Jexel.

“No, no. I’ll be fine. It just caught me off-guard,” she replied. Pushing on the door with one hand while shielding her eyes with the other, she stepped eagerly into the light as Jexel followed.

Zanik gazed in awe at the castle’s mighty stone towers, reaching up to touch a clear blue sky. “It’s amazing… there’s really nothing above me. Just the sun, and the air, and empty space, forever… For generations my people have lived with rock over our heads, but now I can see the sky! Jexel, I want to see everything! Will you show me Lumbridge, please?”

Jexel’s smile returned. “Let’s head to the town square first; it’s not far from here,” he said as he led Zanik through the castle’s portcullis and into a cobblestone courtyard with Lumbridge’s lodestone at its center. Compared to the great lodestones of Varrock, Falador, and Ardougne, the one in Lumbridge was quite small and austere, with enough room for only two or maybe three people to stand side by side upon it, but there was still something beautiful about the glowing geometric lines upon its sides and the perfectly smooth and polished surface of its top.

“Give me a moment please, before I forget again,” said Jexel as he retrieved a book of spells from his pack and a wand from his belt. His wand seemed to glow faintly as he touched the edge of the lodestone with it and uttered a magical incantation.

“What did you just do? What is that thing?” asked Zanik.

“This is a lodestone,” Jexel replied. “I just attuned it to myself, so I can easily teleport back to Lumbridge from anywhere in the world.”

Zanik gave him a skeptical look. “Teleport? You’re joking, right?”

“What?” he asked, before he realized how strange such a thing must have sounded to someone unfamiliar with magic. “Oh yes, forgive me. The Dorgeshuun don’t have runes, do they?”

“What’s a rune?” she asked.

Jexel retrieved a rune from his pouch with an orange flame symbol on its face. “Runes are tiny stones like these, which contain the power of magic. The symbol on them represents what type of power they contain. This one is a fire rune, one of the four basic elemental runes. It was the discovery of how to create and use runes that ushered in the Fifth Age of the world.”

Zanik simply stared at him blankly, his explanation seemingly only confusing her further. “I’m sorry, that just doesn't make much sense to me. These runes… how do they work?”

Jexel stood silently for a moment, trying to think of what to say, but he was not even sure of where to begin. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to ask a wizard that; they’d know much more about runes than I do. Perhaps you could ask the duke about meeting with Wizard Mikasi? She’s the town’s court wizard.”

Zanik shrugged. “Maybe, but that sounds like it might be more of Oldak’s thing. He’s always doing research on some kind of arcane contraption. Right now, I just want to look around! The creatures in the sky, the surface plants, the surface buildings... What’s that stone building over there? It’s taller than the others.”

“That’s the church of Lumbridge, a place of worship for our lord Saradomin,” he said.

Zanik backed away from Jexel, a look in her eyes that was equal parts fearful and defiant. “Worship… Our history remembers the worship of the gods… and their wars. That decorated sword of yours… you’re a god’s warrior, aren’t you?”

“I suppose you could describe me as one. There’s no need to be afraid; I’m not going to hurt you,” Jexel replied.

Zanik frowned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest you were a bad person. Our ancestors were the same. Thousands of years ago, the gods made them fight in horrible wars. It was only after we escaped from them that we were able to build a civilization.”

“Our history remembers them as the God Wars,” explained Jexel. “Before the gods were banished, my ancestors fought for Saradomin against the armies of the evil god Zamorak. That war ended over two thousand years ago, but even to this day, the followers of Zamorak seek to destroy us at every turn.”

“Banished…” uttered Zanik, unable to hide the disapproval in her voice. “Why then? Why do you still fight for gods who aren’t even there anymore? Saradomin can’t exactly strike you down now, can he?”

Jexel took a deep breath. There was no need to be angry at her; she knew only what the Dorgeshuun’s history had taught her. “The Zamorakians worship a god of evil and chaos. They despise peace. If we didn’t fight against them, they wouldn’t stop until every last follower of Saradomin lay dead in the streets.”

“And what makes you any better than them? You’re a god’s warrior, too!” Zanik argued.

It took every ounce of patience in his body not to tell her she was an ignorant, arrogant fool, and that he was nothing like the Zamorakians, who sought only to butcher and usurp all that was good.

“I’m a warrior by necessity, Zanik. If I had a choice, I would lay down my sword and never fight again, but I can’t do that. Not while the world still needs a guardian. You seem to think all the gods are the same, but Saradomin is not like Zamorak or the god of the goblins. Unlike the others, Saradomin fought only to protect his people from harm. There’s a place far from here called Entrana, holy to our people. It’s said that when Saradomin departed the world at the end of the God Wars, he looked upon the destruction and suffering the war had caused with sadness, and decreed that no weapon could ever be brought to Entrana again, in honor of those who died to bring peace to the world.”

Zanik sighed remorsefully. “Maybe that’s true. I should try to approach things with an open mind. I’d rather not have your Saradomin interfering with my life, but I shouldn’t have lectured you like that. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Jexel replied. “I understand your people haven’t had the most pleasant experiences with the gods. There’s still plenty more to see in Lumbridge, though! I think you’ll be interested in seeing the river.”

He led her over to the old stone bridge that gave the town its name, the clear, rushing water beneath it sparkling under the rays of the sun. As Zanik knelt by the riverbank, several ducks that had been swimming took flight, and her eyes followed them into the sky until she met the blindingly intense stare of the sun and quickly jerked her gaze downward once again. “It’s so… blue…” she said, as if it were as unusual to her as orange water. “We have rivers in the caves, but they don’t look anything like this…”

“A friend once told me that the water actually has no color, and that it only appears blue because of the sky’s reflection,” Jexel replied with a wistful smile. “She could take about water for hours… make it sound like the most complicated thing in the world… when she wasn’t too shy to talk to people at all!” he laughed. Thinking of Ilona almost made him miss Lumbridge, but she too had long since departed in search of a greater calling.

It was then that he noticed the townspeople watching him. Farmers and blacksmiths, merchants and guards… some staring silently, others whispering amongst themselves. Some were fixated upon Zanik, while others looked at him. One family seemed rather unimpressed and quickly continued on with their business, but the others all had that same wide-eyed, gawking look, as if they were unsure whether to be amazed or intimidated. Only one approached, a girl dressed in pastel colors, whom Jexel recognized as Allie Corne, the daughter of priests who tended to Saradomin’s creatures.

“Skystone Jexel!” she said, beaming with excitement. “You’re so cool! Mum and dad said you go all over the world fighting baddies! You have stories, right? I wanna hear your stories!”

“I’m sorry, Allie,” Jexel replied. “I’m quite busy at the moment. Perhaps another time?”

“Aw come on, pleeeease?” Allie begged.

“It’s alright, Jexel. We have time,” said Zanik. “Besides, maybe I’ll be able to learn more about the surface from your stories!”

“Wow, a goblin! Are you a venturer like Jexel? Do you have goblin stories?” Allie asked.

Zanik chuckled. “You remind me of this one friend of mine who’s always asking for stories. Let’s let Jexel tell the stories for now, though.”

Jexel nodded, and motioned for Allie and Zanik to seat themselves by the bridge. “Very well. Perhaps I should tell the story of my battle with the demon Delrith, in the city of Varrock to the nor-”

“So it’s true what everyone has been saying… you’ve finally decided to come back to Lumbridge,” said a familiar voice.

No… not her. What could he possibly say to her?

“Oh, hello Mrs. Luminel!” said Allie.

“Allie, you shouldn’t be wandering off like that. Go back to your parents,” Lauren replied.

“But Mrs. Luminel-”

“Now.”

Wordlessly, the girl scurried to her feet and went on her way home.

“Mother?” Jexel asked.

“I’m surprised you even still recognize me, my little hero,” Lauren hissed. “I’m certainly not surprised, however, that you didn’t think it worth your time to visit me. If you didn’t care what I had to say then, why would you now?”

“Or perhaps I simply knew I would be yelled at,” Jexel retorted. “Now leave me alone. I’m on an important quest for the duke.”

“Excuse me…” said Zanik. “Could you please tell me what this is about?”

Lauren took a deep breath and spoke in as calm a voice as she could muster. “Ah, you must be one of the cave goblins I’ve heard about. I wish we had met under friendlier circumstances, but this is a personal matter between me and my son. I’d appreciate if you’d stay out of this.”

Zanik nodded silently and backed away.

“We have nothing more to discuss, mother,” said Jexel.

“Nothing more to discuss?” asked Lauren indignantly. “You lied to me about the tower! You went against my wishes, and you could have gotten yourself killed! I heard about how you went to Draynor to fight the Skulls. Haven’t you learned anything from what happened with your father?”

“I learned that it was important to stand up for what you believe in, and fight for people who can’t fight for themselves. I’m a grown man now, and I’ve learned more about the world in the last twenty-four months than you ever will. You have no right to decide what I should do with my own life, so keep your cowardice to yourself!” he yelled, his face twisted into an enraged scowl.

Lauren’s eyes widened with shock. “You would speak like that to your mother?”

Jexel simply glared at her without saying a word.

She walked away, weeping quietly.

“Mother…” he called out, but she offered no response.

“Jexel?” asked Zanik as she stepped forward once again.

“Zanik. Let’s continue. I think you’ll be interested in seeing the farms and the forest…”

“You shouldn’t feel bad, Jexel,” she assured him. “It’s not like she can tell you what to do just because she’s your mother.”

“Did your mother never tell you what to do?” asked Jexel.

“I don’t even know who my mother is,” Zanik replied.

“Oh… I’m sorry,” said Jexel in a gentle, sympathetic voice.

“Sorry about what?” Zanik asked.

“That you never got to know your mother. I lost my father when I was young, but I still got a chance to know him…” Jexel replied.

Zanik gave him a confused look. “Is that unusual for humans? Hardly any of the Dorgeshuun know who gave birth to them.”

Jexel stared at Zanik in disbelief. “What? You can’t be serious… who took care of you as a child?”

“The nursery?” Zanik replied, confused as to why he would need to ask. “All our children are brought to the nursery and live there until they become full adults.”

“So they just take children away from their parents!?” asked Jexel, fury seeping into his voice again.

“Well, yes.” Zanik replied.

“That’s horrible!” Jexel snapped. “For a city to just take children from their parents… It was bad enough to lose my father. If I had been separated from my mother too…”

“But… I thought you didn’t like your mother anyway?” Zanik asked.

Jexel gave a depressed sigh. “No, it’s not like that. I don’t hate my mother, I just… I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Can we just continue on, please?” He forced a smile as he looked towards the old oak tree by the river, its verdant leaves swaying in the wind, so familiar to him and yet so alien to Zanik. “We have things to do, and a world to explore.”

**Author's Note:**

> By Saradomin's beard, it's been far too long since I've posted a story! For all 3 of you who enjoy reading my stuff, I'm sorry for the wait, and I'll try to finish the next one more quickly.
> 
> This story is largely based on Death to the Dorgeshuun, though I have obviously deviated from the quest where I felt it would make more sense for Jexel's character, and I've only included a small portion of the quest. The rest of it is pretty much the same as it was in canon, so I saw little reason to retread it. Though this does make it a fairly short story without much conflict, I do think it's an important part of the series, and it did present an opportunity to flesh out Zanik, Jexel, and Lauren. Besides, I figure having some more peaceful stories in the series helps to keep things more varied and fresh.
> 
> I actually wrote the majority of this story in a single day, but felt it was a little too bland and dialogue-heavy. Hopefully that won't be the case with this version of the story. If you do have any criticisms of it though, or any suggestions as to how it could be improved, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment, as long as it's constructive!


End file.
